A BASIC GUIDE TO ROMANCE

Romance is something we see (or expect to see) in most RPGs we play. Two characters interact, become friends, and then become something more than friends...lovers. It is a scenario that puts a warm smile on the player and something we see as a reward for playing through the game. In this tutorial, I will show you my method of building romance between your characters.


Keep in mind that the tutorial is assuming that the male and female have never met before


First Impressions ~ Stranger Phase

How the male and female in question meet physically is up to you (but personally, I would avoid the typical "finding a lost girl" or "saving a girl in distress" scenario), but their first impressions of each other should not scream out "they will become lovers soon!" If fact, romance should be almost non-existent, if not subtle, when the two first meet. Why you ask? Well, romantic relationships are strong because lots of time is spent BUILDING the relationship. To build a relationship, it must start from the ground-up, with two strangers who happen to cross paths, not two people who automatically develop romantic feelings for one another just because you want them to. They are strangers, so the male and female do not think much of each other at this point.


Motivation ~ Acquaintance Phase

To ensure these strangers do not stay strangers, you need a reason why these two should stick together, some...motivation. That motivation is once again up to you and the plot you wrote out for your game. Perhaps the male is looking for a special item, and finds out that the female is looking for the very same item. To make their quest easier, they decide to join forces. Now, they still only just met, but now the two know they share the same goal and have become acquaintances.


Opening Up ~ Friendship/Personal Phase

The male and female have been traveling for quite a while now and have begun to speak with each other more. Conversations get more personal one after the other as the two get a little closer. Through these conversations, the two get to know each other and are able to distinguish their personality from other people. Soon, they become friends and find that they are much more comfortable with each other than before.


Flaws ~ Realization Phase

Friends are people who do not judge you, and that is what these two are right now. Conversations between the two are still getting more personal, and have gone so far as to talk about their own flaws. In turn, they try to help each other get rid of these flaws. Their persistence in helping each other brings them to realize their true feelings for one another.


Finale ~ Lovers Phase

When the journey is finished and all is well, the two are able to live peacefully. They confess their feelings for each other and become lovers...




Well, that's it! I hope you found this useful and enjoyed reading it!


Extra thoughts

Ha, I didn't intend to make the tutorial sound like a little story, but I found it was the best way to explain my way of executing romance in a game. I am a fan of subtle romance, a relationship that starts slowly and inconspicuously to immerse the player into the lives of the characters and the plot as well, and then when the romance is at its peak, it makes the final kiss or hug or whatever that much more influential.

In the first section, I said to avoid the "save the girl in distress" scenario because I feel that if the male saves the female's life at the very beginning of the game, she will be obligated to stay with the male for that very reason, because he was brave enough to save her. The keyword is "motivation" not "obligation." I also don't like the "helpless female character." The male lead constantly saves her life, which substitutes any real progress to having a good relationship. it just turns out like, "oh, you saved me so much times, I HAVE to love you now because the best and only quality I know about you is saving me from trouble."

Experience is key, so if you had any romantic experiences in the past, or are in one now, use those experiences to your advantage.